The Legend of Zelda

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The official sword and shield logo of The Legend of Zelda introduced during the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

The Legend of ZeldaZeruda no Densetsu (ゼルダの伝説) is a high fantasy video game series produced by Nintendo, and created by the celebrated game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. The gameplay consists of a mixture of action, adventure, puzzle solving, and occasional platforming and racing elements. The series is known for its beautiful and inspiring settings, creative gameplay, interesting characters, stirring original music, and high overall production values. It is widely considered one of the most influential video game franchises ever created, and has earned a spot as one of Nintendo's flagship franchises alongside such notable series as Mario, Metroid, Donkey Kong and Pokémon. As of February 2007, The Legend of Zelda series has 13 official games (Phantom Hourglass being the 14th in Japan) released which have sold 47 million units.

Overview

Each of the games in The Legend of Zelda series features a boy named Link as the central playable character and hero. Link is frequently called upon to rescue Princess Zelda. Ganondorf is most often the central antagonist (and more recently, a new villain, the wind mage Vaati, has appeared in multiple Zelda games as well, specifically, The Minish Cap and Four Swords). The action usually occurs in the land of Hyrule and involves a divine relic known as the Triforce, a set of three magically bound golden triangles of great power. In story terms, the earlier games did not deviate much from the standard "save the princess" theme, but later installments have diversified their plot and added twists and turns to the tale. One Zelda game, Link’s Awakening, did not feature Zelda at all (although she was briefly mentioned when Link thought Marin was Princess Zelda), and in Majora’s Mask, she was only seen in a flashback. The protagonist in each game is not always the same boy named Link, although occasionally the same Link is controlled across multiple games (see nature of the protagonist).

The games' fantasy world of Hyrule includes many different climates and terrains, and is home to many different races and tribes of monsters and sentient beings. There are significant geographical differences from game to game, but several distinctive features recur, such as the Lost Woods, Hyrule Field, Lake Hylia, Kakariko Village and Death Mountain (on which Spectacle Rock near the summit in certain games of the series).

The Zelda games feature a mixture of complex puzzles, strategic action gameplay, and exploration. These elements have remained fairly constant throughout the series, but with refinements and additions featured in each new game. This successful formula has been a primary factor in making the Zelda franchise one of Nintendo's most successful game series. The player is frequently rewarded for solving complex puzzles or exhaustively exploring areas. The musical cue when finding a hidden treasure (or other secret) has become one of video gaming's most memorable themes.

Nearly every Zelda game involves locating and exploring dungeons while solving a variety of puzzles until reaching the dungeon's boss. Each dungeon usually has one special item hidden inside which will be required later in the game. Some items are found in almost every game, while others are exclusive to a single game (see weapons and items from The Legend of Zelda series). In the later games in the series, the item(s) found in each dungeon are usually used in some way to fight that dungeon's boss.

The Legend of Zelda was principally inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's explorations as a young boy in the hillsides surrounding his childhood home in Kyoto, where he ventured into forests with secluded lakes, caves, and rural villages. According to Miyamoto, one of his most memorable experiences was the discovery of a cave entrance in the middle of the woods. After some hesitation, he apprehensively entered the cave and explored its depths with the aid of a lantern. This memory has clearly influenced Miyamoto's work, as cave exploration is often a major component of most Zelda games (usually by the light of a lantern). Other than Miyamoto's childhood, Norse and Japanese mythologies have played a large role influencing the series, as well as Medieval European culture and The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. Miyamoto has referred to the creation of the Zelda games as an attempt to bring to life a "miniature garden" for players to play with in each game of the series.

Hearing of F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife Zelda, Mr. Miyamoto thought the name sounded "pleasant and significant." Paying tribute, he chose to name the Princess after her, and titled his creation The Legend of Zelda.

History

The Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System console.

The first game, The Legend of Zelda, was first released in Japan in 1986, and in the United States and Europe in 1987. Though relatively simple by today's standards, it was quite advanced for its time. Innovations include the ability to use dozens of different items, a vast world full of secrets to explore, and the cartridge's ability to save progress via battery-backed memory. The game also features a "Second Quest", accessible upon completing the game, where dungeons and the placement of items are different and enemies stronger. Besides the game's technical innovations, the gameplay (finding items and using them to solve puzzles, battling monsters in real-time, and exploring a vast environment) was a successful formula and became widely copied. The game was wildly popular in Japan and North America, and many consider it one of the most important video games ever made. During the last years of the Famicom the game was re-released in cartridge format. A modified version known as BS Zelda was released for the Super Famicom's satellite-based expansion, Satellaview, in the mid-1990s in Japan. BS Zelda was then re-released for the Satellaview again a year later with re-arranged dungeons and a re-arranged overworld (more or less a "Second Quest"). This re-release was dubbed BS Zelda ~MAP 2~ by fans.

The second game, known as Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was released in July 1988, and was a departure from the concept of the first game. It exchanged the top-down perspective for side-scrolling (though the top-down was retained for times that Link is wandering the overworld) and introduced RPG elements (e.g., experience points) not found in other Zelda installments. It is also the only Zelda title until Four Swords Adventures in which Link does not collect Rupees. Because of these fundamental changes, many consider it the "black sheep" of the series. Both this and its predecessor were notable for their gold-colored game cartridges, which stood out amongst the system's usual gray cartridges. This is an irony as both games were later re-released in the final years of the Nintendo Entertainment System with gray cartridges that happen to be harder to find than their gold-colored counterparts.

Four years later, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, returned to the top-down view (under a 3/4 perspective) and added the concept of an alternate dimension to explore, a land known as the Dark World. The game was released for the Super NES in 1991 . It was later re-released for the Game Boy Advance on December 9, 2002 in North America, on a cartridge with Four Swords, the first multiplayer Zelda, and then on the Wii's Virtual Console on January 22, 2007. In addition, both this game (unchanged except for being converted into a downloadable format) and an exclusive "loosely based" sequel (which used the same game engine) called BS The Legend of Zelda: Kodai no Sekiban were released on the Satellaview in Japan.

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Link in the opening cinema of Link's Awakening DX.

The next game, Link's Awakening, was the first Zelda for Nintendo's Game Boy handheld, and the first to take place outside of Hyrule and not to include the Princess, Zelda. It was re-released for the Game Boy Color in 1998 as Link's Awakening DX with some additional features, including an extra color-based dungeon and a photo shop that allowed interaction with the Game Boy Printer.

After another hiatus, the series made the transition to 3D with the installment Ocarina of Time which was released in November 1998. This game, initially known as Zelda 64, retained the core gameplay of the previous 2D games and became one of the most successful games of all time in both commercial and critical terms. It is considered by some to be one of the best video games ever made, and scored perfect scores in several video game publications, including the first 40/40 score in Famitsu (a prestigious Japanese gaming magazine). In 2006 it was ranked by Nintendo Power as the best game to ever appear on a Nintendo console. The title was originally slated for the ill-fated, Japanese-only Nintendo 64DD, but was ported to a cartridge when the hardware was delayed. Innovations include the use of lock-on targeting, a new gameplay mechanic that focuses the camera on a nearby target and alters the player's actions to be relative to that target. Such mechanics allow precision-based sword fighting in a 3D space and were a revolutionary development for the time. Like its Nintendo Entertainment System predecessors, Ocarina of Time was notable for being released on a limited Collector's Edition gold cartridge (available mainly to those who pre-ordered the game) as well as a more traditional gray cartridge.

Ocarina of Time was re-released on the GameCube in 2002 when it was offered as a pre-order incentive for The Wind Waker in the US, Canada and Japan. Europe continues to receive it free in every copy of The Wind Waker, except for the discounted Player's Choice version. It included a previously unreleased 64DD expansion known as Ura Zelda in Japan and Ocarina of Time Master Quest in North America. Ocarina of Time was included as part of Collector's Edition for the GameCube in 2003.

The follow-up title, Majora's Mask, which was released in November 2000, used the same 3D game engine as the previous Nintendo 64 game (dropping the Fixed 3D elements), but added a novel time-based concept, leading to somewhat mixed reactions from series fans. It was originally called Zelda Gaiden, a Japanese title that translates as Zelda Side Story. Gameplay changed significantly; in addition to a form of time limit, Link could use masks to transform into different creatures with unique skills. While Majora's Mask retained the graphical style of the landmark Ocarina of Time, it was also a departure, particularly in atmosphere. It also featured motion-blur, unlike its predecessor Ocarina of time. The game is much darker, dealing with death and tragedy in a manner not previously seen in the series, and has a sense of impending doom as a large moon slowly descends upon the land of Termina. All copies of Majora's Mask are gold cartridges. Instead a limited Collector's Edition lenticular cartridge label was offered as the pre-order incentive. Copies of the game that weren't Collector's Editions featured a more traditional sticker cartridge label.

The next two games, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, were released simultaneously for the Game Boy Color and interact using passwords or a Game Link Cable. After one game has been completed, the player is given a password that allows the other game to be played as a sequel. They were developed by Flagship in conjunction with Nintendo, with supervision from Miyamoto. After the team experimented with porting the original Legend of Zelda to the Game Boy Color, they decided to make an original trilogy to be called the "Triforce Series". When the password system linking the three games proved too troublesome, the concept was reduced to two titles at Miyamoto's suggestion. These two titles became Oracle of Ages, which is more puzzle-based, and Oracle of Seasons, which is more action-oriented. ‎

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The cel-shaded art-style of The Wind Waker.

When Nintendo revealed the Nintendo GameCube on 24 August 2000, the day before Nintendo's SpaceWorld 2000 exposition, one software demonstration showed a realistically-styled real-time duel between Ganon and Link. Fans and the media speculated that the battle might be from a Zelda game under development. At Spaceworld 2001 Nintendo showed a cel-shaded Zelda title, later released as The Wind Waker, which Miyamoto felt would "extend Zelda's reach to all ages". The media reported that Zelda was shifting to a younger audience, to Miyamoto's surprise. Nothing further was shown until a playable demonstration was ready, which was well-received. The gameplay centers on controlling wind with a baton called the "Wind Waker" and sailing a small boat around a massive, island-filled ocean.

Next in the series came Four Swords Adventures for the GameCube, which was released in the first half of 2004 in Japan and America, and in January 2005 in Europe. Based on the handheld Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures was another deviation from previous Zelda gameplay, focusing on multiplayer gameplay and "level-based" action (like many Super Mario Bros. titles). The game contains 24 individual stages and a map screen; there is no connecting overworld. For the multiplayer features of the game, each player is required to use a Game Boy Advance system linked to the Nintendo GameCube via a GBA-GCN cable. Although it focuses on multiplayer, the game also features a single player campaign in which using a Game Boy Advance is optional.

Four Swords Adventures is really two games in one: Hyrulean Adventure (with a storyline and action somewhat similar to a traditional Zelda adventure) and Shadow Battle (a free-for-all melee "battle mode" which pits Links against each other as the players struggle for dominance in Hyrulean arenas). The Japanese version includes a third segment, known as Navi Trackers (originally designed as the stand-alone game Tetra's Trackers), which is not included in any other incarnation of the title. Navi Trackers contains an important first for Zelda, as the game has spoken dialog for most of the characters.

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An official Twilight Princess illustration.

In November 2004 in Japan and Europe, and in January 2005 in America, Nintendo released a new game for the Game Boy Advance, The Minish Cap. The central concept of The Minish Cap is Link's ability to shrink in size with the aid of a mystical sentient hat named Ezlo. While tiny, Link can see previously-explored parts of a dungeon from a new perspective, and enter new areas through otherwise impassable openings. Link is able to switch from big to small at special portals throughout the land, once again giving Link two "worlds" to play in.

In November 2006, Twilight Princess arrived as the first Zelda game on the Wii. During the following month, December 2006, it was released on the Nintendo GameCube as well. The new game once again strives for a realistic look, improved even beyond the aforementioned SpaceWorld demo. This game chronicles the struggle of a more mature Link to rid Hyrule of the "Twilight Realm", a mysterious force plaguing the land. When Link enters this realm, he transforms into a wolf and the gameplay shifts radically. Twilight Princess also relies heavily on horseback transportation and mounted battle scenarios (including boss battles).

Zelda DS was once rumored to be a new Four Swords game, but Nintendo later retracted those statements. Instead, at the 2006 Game Developers Conference a trailer for Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS was shown. The trailer revealed traditional top-down Zelda gameplay optimized for the DS’s features, with a cel-shaded graphical style directly recalling The Wind Waker. At E³ 2006, Nintendo confirmed its status as a direct sequel to The Wind Waker, and debuted an extensive playable demo including a multiplayer mode reminiscent of Pac-Man Vs. with "capture the flag" elements. Phantom Hourglass was released on June 23, 2007 in Japan. As of now it is set to be released on October 1, 2007 in America.

Fictional universe

Further information: Hyrule, Triforce

The Zelda series has developed a deep story and wide universe over its many releases. Much of the backstory of the creation of Hyrule was revealed in the games A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess.

History

According to the in-game stories, long ago three goddesses descended and created the world of Hyrule. Din, the goddess of power, with her powerful, flaming arms, cultivated the empty space, and created the red earth. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, bestowed her divine wisdom upon the land and created the skies to give a sense of justice and order to the world and to guide the people in the goddesses' absence. Farore, the goddess of courage, endowed Hyrule with her powers so that courageous living beings would follow this justice.

After their work was completed, the goddesses left a magical artifact called the Triforce which could grant the wishes of the user. It consisted of three golden triangles (each also called a "Triforce" — one of Wisdom, one of Power, and one of Courage), held in proximity by a magic force. However, because the Triforce was inanimate and did not judge between good and evil, the goddesses placed the Triforce in an alternate world called the "Sacred Realm", hoping that a worthy person would one day seek it.

According to legend, if the discoverer of the Triforce has a balance of power, wisdom, and courage, they will receive the Triforce as a whole. If they are unbalanced, they will receive the part of the Triforce that represents the characteristic they most demonstrate, with the remaining parts of the whole transferring into the people in Hyrule who most exemplify the other two traits. The Triforce was first distributed as such starting in Ocarina of Time, as the Triforces of Power, Wisdom and Courage were each held by Ganondorf, Princess Zelda and Link, respectively. While the Triforce of Power and Wisdom have been part of the series since the original The Legend of Zelda, it was only in The Adventure of Link that the Triforce of Courage was first introduced, being obtained by Link at the end of his quest. A Link to the Past, released after The Adventure of Link but before Ocarina of Time, featured the Triforce, but made no mention of its three qualities or distribution beyond Ganon obtaining it.

Eventually, dark interlopers, soon to be called the Twili and become cursed forevermore, attempted to steal the Triforce and establish dominion over the Sacred Realm. In response, the goddesses sent the light spirits Eldin, Lanayru, Ordona, and Faron to seal away their dark magic in the Fused Shadows, becoming ancient artifacts. The interlopers themselves were banished to the shadowy world of the Twilight Realm (with only the Mirror of Twilight linking the two worlds) where they would become the Twili race. The Mirror was left in the hands of ancient sages to protect.

The fictional universe established by the Zelda games sets the stage for each adventure. Many games take place in lands with their own back-stories. Termina, for example, is a parallel world accidentally formed as a side effect of the goddesses' creation of Hyrule.

Chronology

The precise chronology of the Zelda universe is hotly debated among fans, although some fans do not feel the games are definitively connected. As the series progressed and more games were released, the exact order of the games in an overall timeline became complex and heavily disputed. The most common theories are that most games take place with a different Link, as hinted by Miyamoto in many interviews, or that the games follow a split timeline, parallel universes created by the ending of Ocarina of Time. It is often concluded by many fans that no specific timeline is necessary, and that each game is simply a new retelling of one core Legend of Zelda thesis.

In an interview that Nintendo Dream conducted with Eiji Aonuma in December 2006, he mentioned that there could exist two universes. The split in the timeline occurs during Ocarina of Time, when, at the end of the game, Link is sent back in time by Zelda. Once returned to his original time, Link goes to see her again, and the result of this meeting is an alternate future in which the villain Ganondorf is arrested and tried by the ancient sages, which causes him to get banished to the Twilight Realm; Twilight Princess then occurs over a hundred years after the Ocarina of Time child Link's era. Meanwhile, The Wind Waker occurs in the 'original' timeline, hundreds of years after the adventure of adult Link in Ocarina.

The following is a list of the Nintendo-published games in order of their first release, with their release years (in parentheses), along with any additional information about their placement in the timeline.

• The Legend of Zelda (FDS, NES, FC, GCN, GBA, VC) (1986, 1987, 1994, 2002 (AC), 2003 (CE), 2004, 2006)

This was the first game released in the series, though most of the games released since then seem to take place in earlier time periods. In this game, Ganon is already in his pig-like beast form. According to the instruction manual and the official website (though the reliability of the official website is in question), shortly before the beginning of the game, Ganon broke free from the Dark World and his army attacked Hyrule, stole the Triforce of Power and captured the ruling Princess Zelda, but not before she had time to break up and hide the Triforce of Wisdom.

• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (FDS, NES, GCN, GBA, VC) (1987, 1988, 2003 (CE), 2004, 2007)

The second Zelda game is a clear sequel to the first one. According to its instruction manual, it takes place "several seasons" after the first game and features the same Link but a different Zelda. Moreover, the story references Ganon's destruction by Link in the first game. The game's backstory also references an old legend of Hyrule. According to it, long ago, a prince of Hyrule should have inherited the Triforce after the king's death, but he only obtained part of it. Indeed, his sister, Princess Zelda, let him keep the Triforce of Power and the Triforce of Wisdom, but the late King hid the Triforce of Courage. The prince and a magician questioned Zelda, but she refused to reveal the location of the last piece of the Triforce. In anger, the magician cast an eternal sleeping spell on Zelda, before dying himself. In grief, the prince ordered that all future girls of the royal family be named Zelda. The Zelda who hid the Triforce of Courage is still asleep at the beginning of the game and is awakened by Link after he retrieves the Triforce of Courage at the end of the game. The events of this legend were never mentioned in another game.

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SFC, SNES, BS, GBA, VC) (1991, 1992, 1997, 2002 (FS), 2006)

This is the first of many Zelda games to have Hyrule's history told within the game. It is also the first game in which Ganon's real name, Ganondorf, is revealed. During this game, Ganon is in his demonic form and sealed in the 'Golden Land' (actually the Sacred Realm) with the Triforce. The game's instruction manual tells how the Triforce (all three pieces of it) was originally hidden in the Golden Land. One day long ago, it was found by Ganondorf the Thief, and it granted his evil wish for a monstrous army to attack Hyrule. While the Knights of Hyrule defended the land, the Seven Sages created a magic seal to close off the Golden Land. The game itself revolves around Ganon's ultimately successful attempt to break the Sages' seal. Princess Zelda alerts Link to this and Link goes on a quest to find the Master Sword (its first named appearance in the series), then defeats Ganon to reclaim the Triforce, using various means to travel between Hyrule and the Golden Land (now called the Dark World) in his efforts.

• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening/DX (GB, GBC) (1993, 1998 (DX))

This game occurs soon after the events of A Link to the Past, according to the game's instruction manual. It states that Link left Hyrule on a journey of enlightenment after defeating Ganon. In this installment, Link shipwrecks on the mysterious Koholint Island (while on his journey). He awakes to find that he has lost his sword and shield, the latter of which was recovered by the natives. His original course forcefully abandoned, Link is told that the only way he can leave the island is to find and wake a creature of great power called the Wind Fish. Thus his adventure begins...

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest (N64, GCN, iQue, VC) (1998, 2002 (MQ), 2003 (CE), 2003, 2007)

After its release, this game was confirmed by Shigeru Miyamoto as the first in the series' continuity at the time. At the beginning of the game, Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudo tribe, has not yet gained the Triforce, though he does possess sorcerous powers. As the game progresses, Ganondorf follows Link into the Sacred Realm and, just as Link pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal, Ganondorf appears, telling Link that he will rule Hyrule now that Link "led" him into the Sacred Realm, whereupon Link is promptly put into suspended animation for seven years until he is deemed "of age" to wield the Master Sword. In the meantime, Ganondorf finds the Triforce, but because his heart is not balanced, as per a prophecy previously spoken, he causes the Triforce to divide into its three pieces - the Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Courage. Ganondorf retains the Triforce of Power and uses it to launch an attack on Hyrule Castle, where he sits as the King of Evil, ruling Hyrule for seven years with no hero nor hope in sight. At this time of Hyrule's greatest despair, Link finally awakens from his dormant state in the Sacred Realm, and eventually succeeds in defeating the evil king. Ganondorf is not killed however, and in a last attempt at revenge he uses the Triforce of Power to transform into a vicious demon, Ganon. However, Link, armed with the Master Sword and aided by Zelda, is able to bring him to his knees, and allow the Sages to seal him in the Sacred Realm. The ending of this game, in which Link is sent back in time, gave birth to the idea that is commonly known as the Split Timeline Theory.

• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64, GCN) (2000, 2003 (CE))

This game takes place months after the events of Ocarina of Time, and stars the same Link after returning to his youth, according to the in-game story. While traveling through the Lost Woods, he is attacked by a Skull Kid wearing a sinister mask, and while trying to get his stolen horse and Ocarina back, accidentally falls into a parallel world called Termina, which is going to be destroyed by a falling moon in three days. Link must relive the same three days over and over again while trying to undo the chaos created by the Skull Kid through the power of Majora's Mask, and find a way to stop the impending apocalypse.

• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (GBC) (2001) and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC) (2001)

These games are connected via a password system and one takes place immediately after the other. They can be played and regarded in either order. In-game dialogue between the Link and Zelda featured in these games seems to suggest that this may be their first meeting. The Twinrova sisters from Ocarina of Time appear in these games and plot to resurrect Ganon.

• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (GBA) (2002)

The versions of Link and Princess Zelda featured in this game are childhood friends. This is the first game in which Vaati and the Four Sword appear. According to an interview, Eiji Aonuma considered this game to be the oldest in the timeline, which means that both this and the Minish Cap occur earlier than Ocarina of Time.

• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN) (2002)

This game takes place hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time. Hyrule has been lost for centuries and now all that remains of its civilization are a few scattered islands on the Great Sea. Halfway through The Wind Waker, the Link and Zelda from this game discover they are the reincarnations of their counterparts in the old kingdom of Hyrule (now buried under the Great Sea). It is revealed in dialogue between survivors of Hyrule that the Link of The Wind Waker is not related to the Hero of Time, who is the Link from Ocarina of Time.

• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GCN) (2004)

This game takes place some time after the events of Four Swords. It tells the tale of how Ganondorf of the Gerudo obtained the power of an ancient trident and became the demon, Ganon. This might well be a second origin of Ganon. At the end of the game, Zelda calls Ganon an "ancient demon reborn.", implying that he is the reincarnation of the old Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time. It is interesting to note that Ganon (and Dethl, as Ganon's Shadow) also uses a trident in A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, though there has never been any indication the games or the ancient trident from Four Sword Adventures are directly connected.

• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA) (2004)

This game is staged long before Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures. It involves the origins of the namesake weapon of the aforementioned games, the Four Sword, as well as Vaati, their primary antagonist. No mention of Ganon is made throughout the game. This game is considered first chronologically because neither the Triforce nor Ganon are mentioned, and it depicts the release of monsters upon the world, while in every other game they are already free.

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, GCN) (2006, 2006)

This game takes place at least a hundred years after Ocarina of Time. In an interview with Japan's Nintendo Dream Magazine, Aonuma stated that Twilight Princess occurs in a "parallel" world to The Wind Waker, following an alternate timeline in which Ganondorf does not take over Hyrule, and is instead sentenced to execution following the conclusion of Ocarina of Time.

• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) (2007)

This game has yet to be released outside Japan, but Nintendo has confirmed that it takes place a few months after the events of The Wind Waker, and will star the same Link.

The creators maintain that the series has a set timeline, but due to the poor translation protocols in the 1990s, and debate over what counts as "canonical" material, the available information continues to be disputed. Eiji Aonuma has since promised he will do his best to patch it all up, and reveal the timeline someday, and Miyamoto stated in a 2003 interview that there is a master document containing the timeline. Eiji Aonuma has also stated in a July 2007 video interview that there is such a document on his PC, and that this document is considered confidential. According to this interview, development of a Zelda title can commence without the team knowing in advance where exactly the title will fit into the timeline; but by the time the title is finished, its placement in the timeline will be determined. However, this document has not been seen publicly, and there is little other proof of its existence.

Nature of the protagonist

Main article: Link (The Legend of Zelda)

According to the official website, Link is described as humble but brave, attributes appropriate for the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. Sometimes Link will bear a special title, such as "Hero of Time", "Hero of the Winds", "Hero Chosen by the Gods", and "Waker of the Winds." A long-eared Hylian, Link is usually a boy of roughly 10 or 12 years (though he has also been portrayed as a young man and an adolescent of about 17). Link always wears a green tunic, an undershirt and a long, floppy green cap, for at least part of each adventure. All incarnations of Link are left-handed, the only exception to date being the Wii version of Twilight Princess, in which Link is right-handed due to the 'mirroring' used to accommodate the right-handed control scheme. This mirroring effect flips the entire game.

Link usually doesn't "speak" in Zelda games, producing instead grunts, yells, and other such sounds. One exception to this (so far) was 2003's The Wind Waker. When it was released in the English-speaking world, the audible phrase “Come on!” was used in dungeons to call either special statues or other characters (Medli or Makar) to follow the player. Prior to this, in A Link to the Past players chose how to answer a question with a choice from a list: no voice acting accompanied Link's answers. More usually the character uses facial expressions to show mood - particular emphasis was placed on this in The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Arguably, Link spoke two lines in The Adventure of Link. When Link locates a mirror under a table, the text "I found a mirror under the table" appears on screen. Later, if Link examines a fireplace that he can enter, "Looks like I can get in the fireplace" is printed. Link also speaks in the cartoon series and the games produced by Philips, though these sources are not canonical.

Although the character's accepted name is Link, the player can name the hero in each game and characters will address him by that name in the text.

Side quests

In addition to the primary quest of saving the land from destruction or domination by an evil force, Zelda games often feature lesser quests upon which Link can embark at the discretion of the player. These "side quests" usually reward the player with items that make the primary quest easier to complete (such as Heart Containers, new weapons, etc.), and are occasionally necessary to complete the game. This gameplay device is not unique to The Legend of Zelda, but it is fairly consistent in the series.

The longest of these side quests, present in several games, is the "trading sequence". In such a sequence, Link first obtains an item from either a store or an in-game friend. He then takes that item to a character in the game who needs it, and trades it for something else. This otherwise unhelpful item is then traded to another character for something equally useless, and so on. The trading sequence may consist of as many as fifteen separate items, and usually ends with the player finally trading for a powerful new weapon or a critical item. One famous example of this is the trading sequence in Ocarina of Time required to receive the Biggoron's Sword.

Other side quests include races, a search for hidden items or characters, or extra puzzles. Majora's Mask in particular relied heavily on side quests, ranging from short quests for a Piece of Heart to a long, arduous side quest to collect numerous face masks (and complete several challenging dungeons) needed to obtain the powerful Fierce Deity Mask.

The Minish Cap had a large number of minuscule side quests in the form of searching for Kinstone Pieces, medallion fragments which could be fused with those owned by in-game characters to magically trigger various events (opening a hole in a tree, providing a new path, making a beanstalk grow, making new characters appear, etc.). Usually these events allowed the player to obtain secret items, but it was sometimes necessary to collect Kinstones to advance the game further. The game also includes a mini-quest which consists in fusing seven Kinstones in order to get the last bottle, which works just like other bottles in the series.

Both The Wind Waker and the The Minish Cap featured figurine collecting as a side quest. The Minish Cap's figurines could be bought with seashells, whereas the The Wind Waker required the player to take a photo of the subject upon which the figurine would be based.

Another new development introduced in Twilight Princess is the search for Golden Bugs which can be given to a character in the game in exchange for Rupees. Golden Bugs are identified by a tinkling that sounds whenever the player gets in range of them.

Critical reception

The Legend of Zelda series has generated many extremely positive reviews within the gaming industry. Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker have both received a perfect 40/40 score (10/10 by four reviewers) by Japanese Famitsu magazine, making Zelda the first and currently only series with multiple perfect scores. In addition, A Link to the Past received an almost-perfect score of 39/40. The website IGN.com also awarded Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons and Link's Awakening a score of 10/10. GameFAQs has also held a contest for the best video game series ever, with The Legend of Zelda claiming the top position. In Nintendo Power's Top 200 countdown, Ocarina of Time took first place, and seven other Zelda games placed in the top 40. Moreover, the editors of Game Rankings have declared Ocarina of Time the highest-ranking game of all time by compiling every major numeric review given to the game upon its release. Nintendo Power named Twilight Princess 2006 Game of the Year, as well as Best Story/Adventure, Best New Character, and Game of the Year for both the Nintendo GameCube and the Wii.

Other incarnations

There are a number of Zelda video games and other media creations that have been licensed by Nintendo but not officially acknowledged as part of the series canon.

Cartoons

Animated series logo

Animated series logo

Main article: The Legend of Zelda (TV series)

The Legend of Zelda was made into an animated series as a "show within a show" in the semi-live-action Super Mario Bros. Super Show TV series produced by DiC. The animated Zelda shorts were aired each Friday instead of the usual Super Mario Bros. cartoon that aired during the rest of the week. The series loosely followed the NES Zelda games, mixing settings and characters from those games with original creations. 13 animated Zelda shorts were featured within the show's 65-episode run. The show's incarnations of Link and Zelda also appeared in various episodes of Captain N: The Game Master during its second season.

Comics and manga

Main article: Manga from The Legend of Zelda series

Valiant Comics released a short-lived series of comics featuring characters and settings from the Zelda cartoon as part of their Nintendo Comics System line. In addition, manga have been created based on the many of the series' games, including A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, the Oracle series, Four Swords Adventures and The Minish Cap.

CD-i games

Main article: CD-i games based on The Legend of Zelda series

A series of video games were developed and released for the Philips CD-i in the early 1990s as a product of a compromise between Philips and Nintendo after the companies failed to develop a CD-based peripheral for the Super Nintendo. Created with minimal influence from Nintendo, the games are Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure. The "trilogy" is a large departure from the rest of the series and they are generally considered poor by fans and reviewers alike. Nintendo has erased them from Zelda canon, evidenced by their absence from any of Nintendo's websites and publications. The character designed and personalities used here appear to be based heavily on the cartoon series.

LCD games

Main article: LCD games from The Legend of Zelda series

Two Zelda-themed LCD games were created in the late 1980s. The "Zelda Game Watch" was released first, and was an actual digital watch with primitive gameplay based on the original Legend of Zelda. The similarly titled "Zelda Game & Watch" was a dual-screen handheld electronic game similar in appearance to today's Nintendo DS. It featured gameplay based on The Adventure of Link, and has also been re-released in 1998 as a Toymax Inc. Mini Classic and as an unlockable extra in Game & Watch Gallery 4, a 2002 compilation for the Game Boy Advance.

Unreleased games

In the lifetime of the Zelda series, several video games have been in development that, for various reasons, were ultimately abandoned. Such titles include Mystical Seed of Courage in The Triforce Trilogy (Game Boy Color).

Zelda in other video games

Link appeared in Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. Link, Young Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee (Ganondorf and Young Link were unlockable. Zelda was able to transform into Sheik) for the GameCube. Link and Zelda will also be in the soon to be released Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. Instead of their Ocarina of Time appearances that's been used in games past, Link and Zelda will retain their appearances as depicted in Twilight Princess. Link has also appeared in the GameCube version of Soul Calibur II. Link appeared in three micro-games in WarioWare: Smooth Moves where he is shown in his The Wind Waker form gliding on a Deku Leaf, in his N64 form pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, and he is also one of the pixel Orchestra. Link has also made cameos in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, as well as being mentioned in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!.

Cultural influence

• The original Legend of Zelda was featured in VH1's I Love the '80s 3-D
• Au'some Candies Inc created three Nintendo KLIK candy dispensers which dispense Smarties. One of them has the head "Young Link" from Ocarina of Time.
• The Toysite brand (owned by Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc.) created a number of Zelda figures in 2000, including Ganon, Zelda, and Link. Many figures were never released, including Sheik, Darunia, Young Link, Gold Skulltula, Phantom Ganon, and Stalfos. What exactly happened to Toysite is unknown, as their website was under renovation for years before being incorporated into the BD&A site (being greatly reduced in content in the process).
• Tomy also released a set of figures, including Ganon riding a black horse (with a trident and a Phantom Ganon Mask), young Zelda and Impa riding a white horse, and adult Link riding Epona. The horses were the same model with differing coloration and saddles.
• An episode of The Powerpuff Girls features the Mayor of Townsville playing a spoof of Ocarina of Time, where he accidentally kills Navi.
• The band Showbread have expressed devout appreciation for the series in several ways. They played The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker intro music during their Reptilian Empire Tour in 2006. Three members of the band can be seen wearing matching triforce rings in their music video for mouth like a magazine.
• First 4 Figures is producing statues based on the Zelda franchise, including characters from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The first statues were planned for a release in the fourth quarter of 2006.
• Hot Topic produced a series of retro T-Shirts featuring classic Nintendo icons from the 1980s. Popular examples include "Don't Make Me Go Zelda On You" with items on the front, and "Pure Gold" with a gold Zelda cartridge on the front, as well as sweatshirts depicting a Hylian Shield with two Biggoron Swords. They also released a shirt with the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, with the words "Hero Of Hyrule" written on it.
• Joe Pleiman created a song parody of the main Zelda theme for his album The Rabbit Joint. The song is commonly mis-attributed to System of a Down- because the voice sounds a lot like Serj Tankian's - or The Rabbit Joint.
• The character of Xandir from the animated series Drawn Together is based heavily on Link. In the pilot episode, when he plays a flute, a tornado carries him off (hitting trailers on the way), a reference to the flute in the original Legend of Zelda. In addition, one of his characteristic catchphrases is "I'm on a never-ending quest to save my girlfriend!", parodying Princess Zelda's frequent peril. The episode titled A Tale of Two Cows features a cheat book called The Legend of Xandir.
• In The Kids in the Hall Season 5 Episode 5, Gavin (played by Bruce McCulloch) wears a green Legend of Zelda cap.
• In The Nickelodeon show Wayside, The character Stephen is commonly seen dressed similarly to Link.
• In The Code Monkeys premiere episode "The Woz", Steve Wozniak has an 8-bit version of Majora's Mask on his office wall.

References in other games

File:LinkSuperMarioRPG.jpg

Link cameos in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars at the Rose Town inn.

• Final Fantasy — On one of the tombstones in Elfland there is a message that reads: "Here lies Link". In the American NES and the European PSX Origins version, the tombstone was changed to Erdrick’s, from Dragon Quest, but the original "Here lies Link" is used in all other versions.
• Tetris (NES) — After winning a B-type game at or above level 9 with a height of at least 1, Link appears playing an ocarina.
• Kirby series — When Kirby obtains the “sword” power-up, he also gains a green cap similar to Link’s. This also occurs in the Super Smash Bros. games, when Kirby "absorbs" Link or Young Link. In "The Great Cave Offensive", part of Kirby Super Star for the Super NES, the player may come across many items alluding to various Nintendo games, including the Triforce. In Kirby: Canvas Curse, one of the objects to draw in the doodling minigame is a Triforce. It was thought that in Kirby and the Amazing Mirror that the "Master" ability was a reference to the Master Sword. This is incorrect, as it is actually "Meta Knight's Sword".
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) — Before Mario's party goes to the forest to take on Bowyer, Link appears sleeping in a bed at the Rose Town Inn, and he remains in bed throughout the game. If Mario attempts to talk to Link, the well–known mystery noise of the Zelda series plays.
• Donkey Kong Country 3 — If the player refuses to buy one of the items in Bazaar's general store, he says that "A Cheeky young lad named Link was in my store yesterday. He didn't have any coins on him but he looked like such a nice lad I offered it to him for 500 rupees."
• Game Boy Camera: Gold Version — This particular version contained Ocarina of Time themed stamps for editing photos that are not found in any other color version of the Game Boy Camera.
• Super Smash Bros. series — Link has appeared in every Super Smash Bros. installment to date. The second game in the series also featured Young Link, Zelda, Sheik, and Ganondorf as playable characters, along with Tingle and the Four Giants as an interactive part of the scenery on a certain level.
• Animal Forest and Animal Crossing — The player can buy the Master Sword as a decoration for his/her house. Several cards for the e-Reader were released with Zelda themed design patterns (NES Link, Triforce Tile, and Link's Tunic) on them for download into the game. On some occasions, the player may find rupees in a neighbor's house. However, the rupees will be left behind because they aren't Animal Crossing currency. While fishing, if the player catches a loach, the caption reads “You don’t suppose it’s Hylian, do you?”, recalling the largest catch in the fishing pond in Ocarina of Time. In addition, the character Gulliver may make a reference to Hyrule being a place he's visited, or mention "Fighting the sea snakes off of Pinnacle Rock". Kapp'n sometimes asks the player if they have ever been in a Hylian prison after finishing a sailing song. The back wall of Katrina's tent has the Triforce symbol painted on it. The original The Legend of Zelda NES game can be unlocked for play with a cheat device (like Action Replay). The player can also obtain a copy of Kafei and Anju's Shirt in the game. (Kafei's shirt is misspelled "Kaffe's shirt")
• Soul Calibur II (GCN) — Link is a selectable character in the Nintendo GameCube version of this fighting game. Several weapons which appeared in numerous Zelda titles - such as the Megaton Hammer and the Cane of Byrna - are also present in the game.
• World of Warcraft — A gnome NPC named Linken makes an appearance in the MMORPG World of Warcraft. He is dressed similarly to Link and provides quests that give the player Linken's Boomerang and Linken's Sword of Mastery upon completion. Two of the quests are called “It’s a Secret to Everybody” and “It’s Dangerous to Go Alone”, both of which quotes are from the original Legend of Zelda. The player also receives a photograph of Linken standing with a female gnome that looks similar to Princess Zelda. Lastly, an item needed to complete these quests is a golden triangle resembling the Triforce.
• Dragonfable — There is an item called the quad-force, resembling a triangle with four squares in front of it. One piece of it is found in a farm owned by a man named Linken. Once the quad-force is obtained, a monster named Gananana can be fought.
• WarioWare series — Many of 9-volt's microgames are based on Zelda titles.
• Game & Watch Gallery 4 — The "Zelda Game & Watch" game is included in this compilation as an unlockable bonus.
• Donkey Konga/Donkey Konga 2 (EU/NA) (GCN) — These rhythm games feature the Zelda theme as one of the songs.
• Trace Memory — A book on one of the book shelves was titled "The History of Hyrule."
• Animal Crossing: Wild World (NDS) — The Triforce and the Master Sword can be obtained for decoration. One of the characters mentions something about a boy in green who had a magical boomerang who would obtain objects from a distance. Also, useless rupees may again be found in a neighbor's house.
• Tetris DS (NDS) — This version of Tetris features Link prominently and includes a number of Zelda-themed games.
• Freshly Picked - Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (NDS) — Supporting character Tingle stars in this spin-off RPG, released in September of 2006 in Japan. A release in the UK in the summer of 2007 has been announced.
• Chinkuru no Barūn Faito DS (Tingle's Balloon Fight DS) (NDS) — Supporting character Tingle stars in this spin-off arcade style platformer, released in April 2007 only in Japan and available solely to Platinum Club Nintendo members.
• Super Paper Mario (Wii) — In one level, the player must collect 1 million rubies in order to proceed in the level.

Games that have been influenced by The Legend of Zelda series

• Rare's Star Fox Adventures borrows several gameplay elements from The Legend of Zelda series and uses a similar gameplay engine to the one used in Ocarina of Time.
• Ōkami director Hideki Kamiya states that he has been influenced by The Legend of Zelda series in developing the PlayStation 2 title. Both Ōkami and Twilight Princess feature a wolf as a playable character.
• The first and second Harry Potter games borrow elements from the Zelda series, some of them being a mostly free-roaming overworld with places you must eventually go, treasure chests, upgradable health size, and spells being assigned to certain buttons, similar to item assignment.
• The creators of the game Dark Sector have stated they have been heavily influenced by The Legend of Zelda series, and that the structure of the game is much like a Zelda game.
• Spiritual Warfare was an unlicensed Nintendo Entertainment System game by Wisdom Tree that has a similar game design to The Legend Of Zelda.

References

• "ZELDA: The Second Quest Begins", Nintendo Power, vol. 1, pp. 26–36, July/August 1988 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Pelland, Scott (ed.) (2001). The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Player's Guide. Redmond, Washington: Nintendo of America, Inc. ISBN 1-930206-10-0. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)

External links

• Zelda.com - Official site, featuring an encyclopedia
• The Legend of Zelda, an external wiki
• Eiji Aonuma's keynote speech on The Legend of Zelda at the 2007 Game Developers Conference